Perishable food items, particularly produce items such as fruits and vegetables, are commonly stored in refrigerator crisper drawers to maintain freshness and avoid spoilage. Typically, enough produce to be used over a given period of time, such as a week, is stored in a refrigerator crisper drawer. However, the bottom portions of individual items of produce tend to be compressed against the drawer floor during such storage.
Due to the compression of the produce, the bottom, outermost layers or skin of individual produce items will suffer from trauma resulting in cellular dissolution. Such cellular dissolution is undesirable and can lead to visible blemishes, poor taste, and accelerated spoilage. Furthermore, free flow of refrigerated air, or other chilled fluid, to and about the bottom layers of the produce items is obstructed because of the compressed contact between the produce and the drawer floor. Such free flow of refrigerated air is desirable in order to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage of the produce. Also, when produce is stored directly on the drawer floor, water or liquids oftentimes pool and provide a stagnant, moist environment which encourages bacterial growth, further accelerating spoilage.
Heretofore, it has been known to support food products with a grill-like surface in order to allow liquids to drain away. Examples of such constructions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,756,681, 3,915,532, and 3,698,783. However, the constructions disclosed in these patents are directed to closed containers rather than to refrigerator crisper drawers and do not provide a suitable solution to the problems outlined above.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a liner for a refrigerator crisper drawer which provides enhanced air flow to the produce stored therein and allows undesirable liquids to drain away from the produce. It is also desirable to do so in such a way that abrasion and trauma to the produce is minimized as the produce is moved about within the drawer.